Marsha and I were at the top of Europe today! Naturally we took a train. All we had to do was buy a ticket at the train station and get on the right trains and they took us to the top of the Jungfrau. I should mention Switzerland is VERY expensive. I was talking to a woman from Thailand, a couple from Liverpool England and a couple from the US and they all though it was expensive here. Back to the Jungfrau- it took us three trains and 2 hours to reach the top. First couple of photos are taken on the way up. Then you can see Marsha and Barbara at the top of Europe. It was stunningly gorgeous. There are several pics from the top. The one pic of Marsha and I was taken inside one of the many attractions at the top. We got to go outside in the snow! There was also several viewing towers where we could see all the mountains. I have tons of pics on my camera. There was 2 ways to get to the top. We took one up and the other down. On the way down we decided this was the perfect opportunity to hike in the Alps. So we did. We got off the train and hiked to the next town and caught the train the rest of the way. We saw waterfalls coming out of the mountain, saw cows and heard their cowbells from quite a distance. A lot of people hike in these mountains – both young and old. The temp at the top was 32 degrees, but we wore all of our warm clothes. At one point we were so cold we stopped and had some schnapps. However, at the bottom it was quite warm. We went and changed to cooler clothes and headed for dinner – fondue naturally. We had the fondue and a salad. Town is quiet tonight so we are back at the hotel. Oh, at dinner there was a guy playing an Alpine horn. See pic. Don ‘t know what tomorrow will bring, but today was spectacular.

I forgot to mention that when we got off the train in Switzerland that we had to get Swiss francs. Now we have British pounds, Euros and Swiss francs.
Also it was 40 degrees on the mountain today, so we got out our cold weather clothes for the trip to the top of the Jungfrau.
To answer some questions-
Yes we did get to see the inside of the cathedral in Strasbourg. It is amazing what was built in the 12th and 13th centuries without technology. The stonework on that church is very intricate and we can’t imagine how long it must have taken to do all that carving.
Schengen countries is complicated. The easiest way to find out what they are is go to the State Dept’s website. Croatia joined ( we think) the schengen countries a few days ago which may mean we will have to alter our plans. We went to the American Embassy for clarification and they were very helpful. We still have not decided what we will do to fix our problem. This is nothing too serious, we just have to be a little flexible.

We have done it again. We boarded a train in the morning and after about 4 hours we found ourselves in the Alps! I took pictures of our train-it was a double decker so I took pictures of the top and bottom. As you can see they are very nice. This is 1st class, but 2nd class is just as nice just more crowded. Again the train trip was an event. As we approached Interlacken the view opened up to a large beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. We are at the base of the Jungfrau, Eiger and some other mountains. There are many hang gliders jumping off the mountains. See pics. The pictures of the middle of the mountains is not clouds, but snow capped peaks. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains. We are planning to go to the top of the Jungfrau tomorrow pending weather conditions. It is very expensive to go to the top and it would be foolish if weather prevented us from seeing anything. We have been out looking for climbing gear. (Just kidding). I must tell you you have not lived unless you are at the base of the Jungfrau in Seitzerland reading an Italian menu written in German & Japanese. Now to the food. We wanted fondue because we are in Switzerland, but found other great food. Of course see pics. We each ordered a cheese dish and then split them. One was bread soaked in white wine, covered in cheese then baked. The other was potatoes and tomatoes covered in cheese and a spicy sauce. Both were outstanding. I hope I can tell you tomorrow how great it was on top of the mountain.